Shards
by Cardinal Robbins
Summary: SVU AU John Munch and Sarah Zelman conduct a hard target search of a crumbling, abandoned apartment building as they look for 15 year old Lauren Reynolds. Abducted by a rapist, the teen is left to the elements and unable to escape. Will they find her in time, before her armed abductor returns with his .357 revolver and kills the detectives and the young girl?


"Shards"

by Cardinal Robbins (Copyright 2010)

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Disclaimer: Wolf owns Munch, but he can't have Zelman – she's mine.

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"This place is a tetanus shot waiting to happen," John Munch said, careful to keep his voice low. "Whatever you do, watch your step." He was a short pace ahead of Sarah Zelman, who had his back in the confines of the long-abandoned apartment building.

"No kidding. Breathing the air in here is enough to make me want a shot," she replied tersely, just loud enough for him to hear. They picked their way through the rubble, pieces of pipe, remnants of old sheet rock, plywood and metal all around them. Both struggled to keep their footfalls as silent as possible, for as long as they could. She looked up, wondering if the ceiling with its collection of twisted metal framework and hanging pipes would collapse on top of them.

They searched for Lauren Reynolds – a fifteen year old who, by her mother's account, had been abducted on her way home from school. She'd said goodbye to a group of her friends, started off for her favorite short-cut and hadn't been heard from in more than twenty-four hours. The location of her disappearance matched the M.O. of a perp who had gotten out of Rikers almost a month ago, the rapist's hunting grounds the very neighborhood the teen had crossed a day earlier.

Wearing Kevlar vests, their badges on chain lanyards around their necks, they'd opted to search for their perp without help from the uniformed officers stationed out of sight at various points around the dilapidated building. Munch had his Glock aimed at a forty-five degree angle to the floor, bringing it up each time he and Zelman cleared a room off what used to be a hallway. Her posture mirrored his, her gun drawn and ready to fire.

"He's here, I can feel it," John decided, wishing the place wasn't in shreds. He wanted to move with his back against the walls, Sarah on the opposite side doing the same. It was impossible, years of rainwater having turned those walls into decomposed drywall, the wallpaper practically dripping as it gave up its adhesive and curled toward the concrete.

"I think the vic's here – stop for a minute and listen. Someone's crying and it's not our perp." They paused, the echo of a young woman's sobbing luring them ahead. John gave his partner a look, gesturing they needed to keep moving forward. The building was dark inside, with daylight coming in at the farthest end of the hallway as well as through a few shattered windows. They pushed ahead, partially hidden by shadows.

Munch stifled a yell as a rat scurried by his ankle, emboldened by the usual lack of humans near its nest. He kicked it, the rodent shrieking its surprise as it abruptly landed and hurried into one of the hundreds of holes in the walls. Sarah wanted to nudge John for making noise, but she knew if he truly hated anything, he despised rats. She could relate; the place was overrun with them.

"He's already wounded a cop, but got off on a technicality. You think we're walking straight into a trap?" Zelman asked, thinking it was a distinct possibility. She could tell he shared her line of thought, as he nodded his head in the affirmative.

"I think we're about to find out. The crying's getting a little louder." He did his best to stay as close to the crumbled walls as he could, Sarah across the hall trying to do the same. "Sounds like it's about three rooms ahead," he said softly.

John knew he and his partner were about to trade places of sorts, as he crossed the doorway while she moved across the hallway to cover him. They held their collective breath as they cleared two more rooms, both amped on adrenaline while they wondered if the crying was another tape recording or a flesh and blood victim.

He glanced over at Zelman and nodded his head, their movements fast and sure. They were safely on either side of the doorframe, each taking a deep breath. Sarge nodded once more and they entered what was left of an apartment kitchen, a teenage girl huddled under a weather-beaten section of scorched countertop. Clad only in her underwear, she was too pale, her long dark hair damp from the afternoon's cold rainfall.

John covered the doorway while Zelman went to her, immediately understanding why she hadn't tried to escape. The perp had taken her shoes and socks as well as the rest of her clothing, scattering most of the floor and beyond with shards of broken glass, to be sure his quarry couldn't get away.

But now his plan failed him. John heard the crunch of glass underfoot, trying his best to conceal himself next to the doorway as Sarah stood in full view, her weapon drawn in a two-handed grip.

As time seemed to stand still, the girl screamed at the sight of her captor's .357 revolver aimed for a moment at her, hearing Munch yell, "Down! Now! NOW!" before she saw the detective swing the perp's arm upward. A shot was fired and noise filled the room before he hit a pressure point on the skel's wrist, forcing him to drop his weapon as Sarah kicked it out of reach. John shoved him hard against the filthy linoleum floor, his knee on the perp as he cuffed him. He yanked him to his feet as Zelman called for backup, two uniformed officers coming in almost immediately.

Several minutes later, he carried the teenager out to an EMS unit, the paramedics waiting with a warm blanket for her. He laid her down gently on the gurney, looking deep into her frightened hazel eyes. "You don't have to be afraid anymore, Lauren. It's over. You're safe."

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End file.
